In China, to study the Four Books and Five Classics, we must study Zheng Xuan, who is a bright pearl and a great peak in the history of Chinese classics----------- Zhuge Changqing

Zheng Xuan, a master of Confucian classics at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, paid attention to Confucian classics and devoted his life to sorting out ancient cultural heritage, thus bringing Confucian classics into a "small unified era". His comments on Confucian classics have long been used as official textbooks by feudal rulers, and have been included in the commentaries of the Nine Classics and the Thirteen Classics, making a significant contribution to the spread of Confucian culture and even the whole Chinese culture. Now, let's take a closer look at the charming demeanor and outstanding achievements of this Confucian master.

1、 Zheng Xuan's Life Story

1. Family background and childhood

Zheng Xuan, whose name is Kang Cheng, was born in Gaomi (now Gaomi County, Shandong Province), Beihai.

He was born in the second year of Yongjian (127th) of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty and died in the fifth year of Jian'an (200th) of Emperor Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Zheng Xuan's family background was originally prominent. His forefather was named Zheng State, whose name was Zi Tu. He was a disciple of Confucius. His later generations were granted the title of Qu (qu qu qu) Mountain Marquis. Zheng Chong, the eighth ancestor of Zheng Xuan, has the word "You". As a Gaomi ethnic group, when Emperor Ai was in the Western Han Dynasty, the official was the minister and the minister. There is a legend in the Book of Han Dynasty. Zheng Chong was upright and upright. He was trusted and valued by Emperor Ai. He often struggled with eunuchs and lucky ministers, such as Dong Xian. Later, the sycophants framed him and died in prison.

By the time Zheng Xuan was born, the Zheng family had fallen. His grandfather, Zheng Ming, and his father, Zheng Jin, had not become an official. They only worked in the countryside, and their family life was relatively poor. Zheng Xuan has no talent and intelligence since childhood. He likes reading and is diligent. He learned the number of books from an early age, and was proficient in the arithmetic of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division when he was eight or nine years old. Not only did ordinary adults fail to catch up with him, but even those who did not study the number of books could not catch up with him. At the age of twelve or thirteen, he can recite and tell the "Five Classics" of Confucianism, such as "Poetry", "Book", "Yi", "Book of Rites" and "Spring and Autumn". At the same time, he also likes to study astronomy, and has mastered some magic tricks, such as "Zhan Feng", "Feng Jiao", "Yin Shu", to predict good or bad luck based on the changes of weather and wind direction.

Zheng Xuan has been devoted to learning since he was a teenager, and has established his ambition to learn the classics. He indulges in books all day long. He is not vain and pragmatic by nature. There is a small thing that can explain this problem. When he was eleven or twelve years old, he accompanied his mother to visit his grandfather's house. At that time, there were many guests, and more than ten guests were dressed in gorgeous clothes, dressed up in a new way. Each of them spoke clearly and boasted, which seemed very important and dignified. Only Zheng Xuan sat quietly aside, as if his identity and talent were not up to others. When his mother saw this, she felt that his face was dark, so she secretly urged him to show up, show some talent, and show some generosity and air. Zheng Xuan, however, disagreed, saying that these vulgar scenes were "not what I wanted, not what I wanted" (see "Xuan Bie Zhuan" in Volume 215 of "Taiping Guangji" for citation).

At the age of 16, Zheng Xuan was not only proficient in Confucian classics and ancient classics, but also in divination and alchemy. He was also able to write good articles and was widely known in the local area. He was known as a child prodigy. At that time, the rulers of the imperial court believed in the theory of disaster and fortune, and regarded all kinds of natural disasters as punishment and warning from heaven; Some rare phenomena in nature, such as the emergence of rare birds and animals, are regarded as the reward of heaven for people and the appreciation of "political purity". In order to prove that the ruler's behavior was in line with the will of God, the court encouraged the local government to report the "Fu Rui" level by level, in order to deify and glorify the feudal rule and paralyze the people. At that time, however, the administration of officials was so bad that most of the state and county officials were speechless, and it was difficult to write like this. In this year, some folk people offered auspicious gifts. Two different seedlings grew together to produce a melon, called "Jiagua"; A branch of rice bears two ears, which is called "Jiahe". In order to please the superior, the county wrote the situation of "Fu Rui" into an official document and submitted it with eulogies. However, the officials were despicable and penniless, so they could not write anything, so they had to ask the prodigy Zheng Xuanlai to rewrite it. Zheng Xuan wrote the official document and two eulogies, which were highly appreciated by the county officials. The prefect thought that Zheng Xuan was a rare talent, worthy of the name of prodigy, and later presided over the coronation ceremony for him personally (the coronation ceremony held when the man was 20 years old to show his maturity).

Zheng Xuan also had a lot of experience in the study of numerology and became famous very early. According to the "Xuanbiezhuan", when Zheng Xuan was 17 years old, he was reading at home one day when he saw a strong wind blowing. He predicted that there would be a fire on a certain day, at a certain time and at a certain place according to some magic tricks he mastered. So he immediately went to the county government to report and let the government prepare early. At a certain time on a certain day, there was a fire in a certain place, but due to the early preparation, it did not cause serious damage. Zheng Xuan was regarded as a "stranger" by the local people.

2. Not happy to learn from history

With the growth of knowledge and learning, Zheng Xuan entered his youth. Although he is determined to devote himself to the study of Confucian classics, and has acquired certain achievements in Confucian classics, due to his poor family and poor life, he has no condition to continue to study specially. His parents and brothers are forced by livelihood problems, and they are not allowed to study for a long time without industry. At the age of 18, he had to become an official and assume the position of a country miser. In the Han Dynasty, the local government implemented a two-tier system of county and county. Under the county, there were townships, pavilions, li, shi, wu, and so on. Generally, five households were divided into five groups. The village miser is a local petty official at the township level, who is in charge of litigation, taxation and other matters. For the work in his charge, Zheng Xuanqin was diligent, earnest, and compassionate. He was highly praised by the village. Soon he was promoted to become a village assistant, about equivalent to the position of deputy village head.

Although his superiors valued him and his fellow villagers supported him, Zheng Xuan was not satisfied with the work of the township officials, and was unwilling to make a living for them, but longed for academic research. Therefore, while working as a township official, he also took advantage of all available opportunities to study hard. He did not go home on holidays, but went to school to ask his teacher about various academic issues. His father was extremely opposed to this, and repeatedly criticized and reprimanded him. However, the opposition of his father and brother could not change his ambition. He still persevered in his study. By the age of 21, he had read a lot of books, had a profound knowledge of the classics, and was proficient in the study of numeration, figure and latitude, and was also proficient in arithmetic. He became a young scholar full of talent.

At that time, there was a famous man named Du Mi, who was as famous as Li Du, the "world famous man" who boldly opposed the eunuch. Du Mi was promoted to the position of Taishan Supreme Guard and Beihai Prime Minister. When he visited Gaomi County, he saw Zheng Xuan. He thought he was a rare talent, so he was promoted to the county as an official, so that he could learn and further study. From then on, Zheng Xuan ended his career as a township official. Shortly after arriving at Beihai County, Zheng Xuan resigned from his position as an official and entered Imperial College. His teacher's name was No. 5 Yuanxian (No. 5 is Fuxing), who was the surname of Jingzhao Pingling (now Chang'an, Shaanxi Province) at that time. He was once the governor of Yanzhou and was a very knowledgeable doctor of classics. Zheng Xuan learned the Book of Changes of the Jing Family, the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Gongyang, the Santong Calendar, and the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, all of which reached the level of proficiency. Among them, the "Jing Shi Yi" was written by Jingfang in the Western Han Dynasty, and the "Gongyang Spring and Autumn" was written by Gongyang Gao in the Warring States Period, and was written at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty. Both of these two books are important classics of modern classics. The Santong Calendar was written by Liu Xin in the Western Han Dynasty, and the Jiuzhang Arithmetic is said to have been written by the Duke of Zhou in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Both of these books are important works in the study of calendars.

In the next 10 years or so, it was the time of Zheng Xuan's eclectic study.

He learned from Zhang Gongzu, Dongjun, such books as "Zhou Guan", "Book of Rites", "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals", "Han Shi", "Ancient Wen Shang Shu" and so on. Except for "Book of Rites" and "Han Shi", they are all important classics of ancient Chinese classics. Zheng Xuan learned the important classics of the two schools of modern and ancient literary classics from the fifth Yuanxian and Zhang Gongzu, but was not satisfied with it. He also learned the Law from Chen Qiu. During this period, he also traveled to the places of You, He, Yan, and Yu (equivalent to Shandong, Hebei, and Henan today) for the purpose of studying the classics of the Ming Dynasty and expressing integrity. He visited famous Confucian scholars all over the world, benefited many teachers, learned from them modestly, and discussed academic issues together. Reading thousands of books, traveling thousands of miles, working tirelessly and assiduously, Zheng Xuan's youth passed in such a hurry and fullness. In his thirties, Zheng Xuan had become a Confucian scholar with profound attainments. His knowledge is second to none in Shandong (east of the mountain, now in Henan, Hebei and Shandong).

3. In his prime, he went to the country to study in Guanxi

Although Zheng Xuan has been rich in learning, he is not satisfied with it. There is no end to learning. The more he learns, the more he feels that knowledge is not enough. When he felt that there were no more scholars in Guandong (the east of Hangu Pass) who could ask for advice, he left his hometown through the relationship of his friend Lu Zhi and went all the way west to Guanzhong to learn from Fufeng Ma Rong. This year, Zheng Xuan was 33 years old. Ma Rong, a native of Fufeng Maoling (now Xingping, Shaanxi Province), was the most famous master of Confucian classics in China at that time, with profound knowledge. His extensive attention to Confucian classics has brought the study of ancient Chinese classics to a mature stage. There are thousands of his disciples, more than 400 of whom have followed him for years, and more than 50 of them are excellent.

He is arrogant and fastidious. Although there are many disciples, he only teaches a few top students in person, and the rest of the students are taught by these top students. After Zheng Xuan joined the school, he was not valued by Ma Rong for three years, and he didn't even see his face. He could only listen to his senior disciples. However, Zheng Xuan did not relax his study because of this. He still searched for recitation day and night, and was not tired. Once, Ma Rong and some of his high-ranking disciples worked together to solve the problem of Huntian (an ancient astronomy). They encountered difficulties and could not solve themselves. Some people said Zheng Xuan was good at mathematics, so they called him to meet him. Zheng it solved the problem perfectly on the spot, which surprised Ma Rong and the disciples present. Ma Rong said to Lu Zhi, "You and I are not as good as him.

Zheng Xuan studied under Ma Rong for seven years. Because his parents were old and needed to return home, he said goodbye to Ma Rong and returned to his hometown in Shandong. At this time, Ma Rong felt that Zheng Xuan was a great talent, and would even surpass himself. He said to his disciples with deep emotion, "Zheng Sheng is gone now, and my way is east!" It means that the Confucian academic thought inherited by him will certainly be spread in the east of Guandong because of the spread of Zheng Xuan.

4. The scourge of the party's imprisonment and the practice of reclusive sutras

After learning from Ma Rong and returning to his hometown, Zheng Xuan was over 40 years old. At that time, he had become a famous master of ancient Chinese classics in the country, and he knew nothing about all schools of learning. So hundreds of thousands of people from far and near threw themselves under his door, worshipped him as a teacher and listened to him. At that time, his family was still very poor, so he "ploughed Donglai" and taught his disciples while farming to make a living. Donglai is located at the foot of the south mountain of Buqi City in the southeast of Jimo County, Shandong Province. The environment is very beautiful. There is an inexhaustible ancient well on the mountain. There is a kind of thin and long grass growing near the well. It is as long as a foot long as an allium, and it is very flexible. It was called Shudai Grass at that time, also known as Kangcheng Shudai. Zheng Xuan and his disciples lived in seclusion here, living a poor and peaceful life.

Originally, the learned and famous Confucian classics teacher like Zheng Xuan would be recommended or recruited into the court as an official, and he himself never intended to. But who knew that at this time, there was a "disaster of party imprisonment".

The disaster of Danggu was the result of the long-term struggle between the eunuchs and the relatives of the ruling class in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The foreign relatives were in power, that is, killing and dismissing a large number of eunuchs, and promoting and reusing their comrades; On the contrary, if the eunuch is in power, he will kill the foreign relatives, recall and suppress the foreign parties.

During the reign of Emperor Huan, a group of relatively upright aristocratic families and feudal bureaucrats from "celebrities" united more than 30000 college students to oppose the eunuch group. The eunuch controlled Emperor Huan and fabricated a crime to fight back. Emperor Huan ordered the arrest of more than 200 people, including Li Ying, Chen Shi and Du Mi, and offered a reward for the fugitives. This is the first "disaster of party imprisonment" that occurred in the ninth year of Yanxi (166).

Later, with the support of the foreign relatives group, Emperor Huan ordered the amnesty of 200 people including Li Ying. Before long, the foreign relatives and the party members joined forces to plan to kill the eunuch. After revealing the secret, the eunuch took the lead and conspired to frame him up. More than 200 people, including Li Ying and Du Mi, were put to prison and executed. Later, "Party members" were arrested in succession throughout the country. In the first year of Emperor Ling's Jianning (168), he issued an edict to all counties and counties to investigate the party members. All "party members" and their students, deceased officials, fathers and sons, and brothers who now occupy official positions will be removed from office and imprisoned, which is the so-called disaster of the second party imprisonment. The so-called "party imprisonment" means that the party members should be regarded as party members and be imprisoned. They should never be allowed to be officials. Zheng Xuan was an old official of Du Mi, and was also appreciated and promoted by Du Mi, so he was also regarded as a party member. In the fourth year of Jianning (171), more than 40 people, including Sun Song of the same county, were imprisoned.

This year, Zheng Xuan was only 45 years old.

After Zheng Xuan was imprisoned, he cut off his career path, so that Du could not leave his home, and concealed his practice of scriptures. He concentrated all his energy on the work of paying attention to group scriptures. The main achievements of Zheng Xue were all completed during this period. Confucian classics in the Han Dynasty can be divided into modern and ancient texts. After Qin Shihuang burned the books, some old Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty recited some scriptures from memory, recorded and sorted them out in the then prevailing language (official script, namely, modern text), called "modern text classics".

In the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang and Liu Xin, their father and son, and their school secretaries, discovered a "Spring and Autumn Zuo's Biography" written in ancient Zhou, together with the "Yili" and "Ancient Book of History" obtained by Kong Bi, and the "Mao Poem", which was not yet an official at that time, which became the main classic of the ancient classics. Those who study the modern classics are called the modern school, and those who study the ancient classics are called the ancient school.

Modern and ancient texts are not only different, but more importantly, their interpretations and viewpoints are quite different. Each of the two schools annotated the scriptures and lectured according to its own point of view, and gradually became incompatible with each other, and developed into mutual accusations, debates and enemies. Later, the ancient scriptures were also established as academic officials and gained legal status. The struggle between the two factions became more frequent and intense. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, modern and ancient literary classics were parallel, and the influence of the ancient literary school was rapidly expanding. Zheng Xuan's entry into the field of Confucian classics is precisely under the situation of fierce struggle between modern and ancient literary schools.

In essence, the mutual attack of the ancient school of literary classics has no progressive significance, although both schools have their own strengths. Classics emphasizes "teaching" and "family law": strictly abide by the precepts of the classics and teachers, which is called teaching; Different students from the same teacher also have their own families. Therefore, family law should be taught under the teacher's law. Only under the premise of following the teacher's law can they become a family. Therefore, the teacher's law is traced back to the origin, and the family law is the extension and development of the teacher's theory. Such "lack of attention without breaking the notes" and overlapping the bed and frame the house, resulting in a number of schools, one of which has a number of statements, each with a set of errors, so that later scholars do not know what to follow. Complication, fragmentation and dogma have become the prominent drawbacks of Confucian classics. Zheng Xuanqi first studied the "Jing Shi Yi" and "Gongyang Spring and Autumn" from the fifth yuan, which belongs to the school of modern classics. Later, he studied "Zhou Guan", "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Ancient Wen Shang Shu" with Zhang Gongzu, which belongs to the school of ancient Wen Jing.

   It is evident that he did not adhere to one teacher's statement and respect the words of one family, but learned from many teachers and incorporated them. He studied for many years under Ma Rong, a master of ancient scriptures, and in general, he was inclined to the side of ancient scriptures. However, Zheng Xuan did not abide by the method of the scriptures at that time, but used his own profound knowledge to annotate the ancient scriptures, not only the interpretation of ancient scribes, but also the interpretation of many individual scribes. In other words, he took the ancient text as the main text, and adopted the modern text as well, choosing the best.

   During the 14 years of his confinement, Zheng Xuan wrote all the scriptures. After the emergence of Zheng Xuan's commentary, the present-day scriptures and the ancient scriptures, each of which had its own way of doing things, gradually ceased to be believed. At that time, he not only gathered the great achievements of ancient scriptures, but also made the ancient and modern scriptures into one, and created a new school, Zheng Xue.

   People turned to admire Zheng's school, and it gradually became the Confucianism of the world. For example, Zheng Xuan's ancient scripture, Fei's Yi, became popular, while the present scripture, Shi, Meng and Liang Qiu's Yi, was abolished; Zheng's ancient scripture, Shangshu, became popular, while the present scripture, Ouyang and Xiahou's Shangshu, was lost; Zheng Xuan's ancient scripture, Mao's poem, was annotated, while the present scripture, Qi, Lu and Han's poem, was not obvious. The emergence of Zheng made an important change in the development of scripture, and it brought it into an "era of unification" (Pi Xirui, in History of Scripture).

   There is another incident worth mentioning in this period.

   A famous master of modern scripture named He Ti spent 17 years writing a book called Gong Yang Chun Qiu Xie Xue (Interpretation of the Gong Yang Spring and Autumn Annals), in which he made many inventions on the contents of the book of Gong Yang. From his essays "Gongshang Mo Shou", "Zuo Shi Anointing Blindness" and "Gu Liang Abolishing Disease", it can be seen that he thought that among the three biographies of the Spring and Autumn Annals, only the Gongshang was profound in its righteousness and as impeccable as Mo Zi's city defense. The two biographies of Zuo and Gu Liang, on the other hand, have serious shortcomings and are not worth studying at all.

In response to his views, Zheng Xuan wrote "Fa Mo Shou", "Needle of the Sick", and "Qi Ru Shi" to refute them. He believed that each of the three biographies had its own strengths and weaknesses, and that the Gong Yang was not perfect. When He Ti read Zheng Xuan's essay, he also said with a sigh of admiration, "Kang Cheng entered my room and manipulated my spear to attack me!" It means that Zheng Xuan was able to find contradictions in his essay and refute his standpoint with his self-contradictory statements. Since Zheng Xuan's refutation of He Ti was very powerful, it convinced the scribes and scholars greatly. It is said that people in the capital at that time called He Huo "the sea of learning" and Zheng Xuan "the god of scripture", and Zheng's reputation far exceeded He's. At that time, scholars came from all over the world to visit Zheng Xuan. At that time, many scholars came from thousands of miles to Zheng Xuan's tutelage, and his disciples were all over the world.

   In short, Zheng Xuan was imprisoned at the age of 45 and was only pardoned at the age of 58 (the first year of Emperor Ling Ping, 184 AD), a period of 14 years. During this period, he broke the family law of scripture, wrote and annotated "more than a million words", and founded Zheng Studies, making an outstanding contribution to the history of Chinese scripture.

    5、Shunning and teaching in seclusion

   After the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Peasant Revolt, the Eastern Han Dynasty granted amnesty to the party members in order to quell the internal strife of the landowning class and to suppress the peasant revolt in unison. Zheng Xuan had traveled for more than ten years to study all over the world, and even the great scribe Ma Rong sighed at himself, and became a famous master of scriptures in the country. With his abundant writings and many disciples, he had a great reputation at that time. After the party ban was lifted, the rulers of the imperial court had already heard of Zheng Xuan's great reputation, so they scrambled to hire him for important positions. However, Zheng Xuan sought fame but not officialdom, and was ashamed to be associated with foreign relatives in closed temples, and never wanted to get involved in the career. In the second year of Emperor Ling's reign (185), He Jin, a foreign general who was in charge of the court, first recruited Zheng Xuan as an official in order to enlist the people. He had no choice but to enter the court to meet with He Jin, as the officials of the state and county coerced him to start the line. In order to show his courtesy to the virtuous, He Jin treated Zheng Xuan with respect and set up a couple of staffs to treat him. Zheng Xuan refused to wear the eyes of the court, and only wore the ordinary clothes of a Confucian to meet with He Jin in order to protect his moral integrity. He fled after one night, before he was granted an official position.

   In the fourth year of Emperor Ling's reign (187), Zheng Xuan was recruited twice by the Three Secretaries, but he politely declined on the pretext. In the next year, Zheng Xuan was recruited as a doctor along with Xun Shuang, Shen Tu Ban, Xiang Kai, Han Rong, Chen Ji and 14 others, but he did not go because of his father's mourning. The latter general Yuan Kui offered Zheng Xuan the position of a retainer, but he still refused to serve on the grounds of mourning.

  In the sixth year of Zhongping (189), Emperor Ling died and Liu Fang, the young emperor, succeeded to the throne, and soon Dong Zhuo abolished the young emperor and installed Emperor Xian and moved the capital to Chang'an. At this time, the public ministers raised Zheng Xuan to be the minister of Zhao Wang Qian, but he was not called due to the war and the roads were impassable. Zheng Xuan refused repeatedly to be recruited, and during this time, except for Xuzhou, where he avoided the turmoil, he mostly lived in seclusion in his hometown, gathering disciples to teach, concentrating on scriptures and writing books. His disciples were all over the world, and many people came from far away to join him, such as Zhao Shang, Cui Yan, Gong Sun Fang, Wang Ji, Guoyuan, Xi Si, etc. He was famous among them. His students often exceeded a thousand, which was a great success at that time.

   In the second year of Emperor Xian's reign (197), Yuan Shao became the great general and supervised the four states of Ji, Qing, You and Bing, which was the largest secessionist power in northern China. Once he gave a banquet to his guests, and Zheng Xuan was invited to attend the banquet. He answered the questions of some so-called "magnificent juns" one by one at the banquet, and his words surprised all the guests. Yuan Shao then raised Zheng Xuan as a mao cai and invited him to be the left middle general, but Zheng Xuan was not moved by it and declined one by one.

   In the third year of Emperor Xian's reign (198), Emperor Xian recruited Zheng Xuan to be the Grand Secretary of Agriculture, a high official ranked among the Nine Ministers, and was given a carriage to welcome him by the chief officials of all the counties he passed. After receiving it at home, Zheng Xuan took the chariot to Xuchang, but immediately asked to return to his hometown on the pretext that he was sick. Although he did not take up his post, he had already accepted this order, so the world called him Zheng Sinong.

   In total, Zheng Xuan was rejected 14 times after he was released from the ban. He also did not take up the post. Under the dark social conditions of the late Han Dynasty, Zheng Xuan intended to keep his noble scholarly integrity and refused to associate with those relatives, eunuchs and fictitious eminent scholars whom he despised, but concentrated on his academic talents. He is worthy of being a true scholar.

   6. Displaced life in his later years

   Zheng Xuan was not conscripted and initially led his students to live in seclusion in the mountains south of Buqi City, where he conducted scripture commentary and lecturing activities. Due to the Yellow Turban Uprising, the world was in turmoil, and later on, the food was cut off and he could not sustain himself anymore, so he and his students cried and parted to go their separate ways.

   In the second year of Emperor Xian's Chuping (191), the Yellow Turban Army captured Qingzhou, and Zheng Xuan could not stay in Gaomi anymore, so he fled to Xuzhou to avoid the chaos. Tao Qian, the pastor of Xuzhou, had defeated the Yellow Turban Army and the territory was relatively stable. When he heard of Zheng Xuan's arrival, he welcomed him with the courtesy of a teacher and friend. Zheng Xuan settled himself in a stone house under the Qizhi Rock in the south of the city and seldom showed his face, still studying the Confucian classics and commenting on the Book of Filial Piety night and day.

   Zheng Xuan lived in Xuzhou for five or six years. At that time, Kong Rong was the minister of Beihai and had special respect for Zheng Xuan, so he repaired the courtyard of Zheng Xuan's former residence and sent people to invite Zheng Xuan back to the county. In the first year of Jian'an (196), Zheng Xuan returned to Gaomi from Xuzhou. According to the original biography of the Book of Later Han, Zheng Xuan met a large number of Yellow Turban Army on his way back to Gaomi, but they were very respectful to Zheng Xuan: "They all worshiped when they saw Xuan and did not dare to enter the county". It is recorded in history that the Yellow Turban Army respected scholars, and Zheng Xuan was a real famous scholar who did not move in the ups and downs, and that is why he could gain the respect of the Yellow Turban Army. According to "The Chronicle of the Later Han Dynasty - The Chronicle of Xian", Gaomi, a county, was not even raided and plundered by the Yellow Turban, and Zheng Xuan protected the township with his personality and fame.

  When he returned to Gaomi, Kong Rong treated him very well and told his staff to call him Zheng Jun and not to call him by his first name. In this way, Zheng Xuan ended his exile at the age of 70, and he spent his days studying the classics, studying the six arts, and often looking at the secretarial arts. But in this year, he was tragically changed, and suffered the pain of losing his son in old age. He had only one son, named Yi En, who was elected by Kong Rong, the minister of Beihai, as a filial integrity at the age of 23.

   In the spring and summer of this year, Yuan Tan, the son of Yuan Shao, led the Yellow Turban surrendered troops to attack Beihai and surrounded Kong Rong in Duchang (now Changyi, Shandong), and the situation was very urgent. I endured his father's order to lead his family soldiers to rescue him, but he was surrounded and killed at the age of 27. After Yi En's death, he had a surviving son, whom Zheng Xuan named Xiaotong because his handwriting was similar to his own. In 200, Zheng Xuan was already 74 years old, and he had been through a lot of hardships, so he often felt unwell. In the spring of that year, he dreamed that Confucius said to him, "Qi, Qi, this year's year is in Chen, and the next year's year is in Ba." (The Book of Later Han, this biography) This year is the lunar calendar year Geng Chen, the year of the dragon, the coming year is Xin Si year, that is, the year of the snake, the old saying that the year of the dragon and snake is not good for the sage. So he woke up very unhappy, when he thought he would soon die. That year, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's army in Guandu (now Zhongmou County, Henan Province, east) will fight. Yuan Shao asked Yuan Tan to force Zheng Xuan to accompany his army in order to strengthen his power and win the hearts of the people and morale. When he arrived at Yuancheng (present-day Dame County, Hebei), his illness worsened and he could not go any further, so he died in June of the same year. He died in June of the same year. When he was seriously ill and at the end of his life, he was still commenting on the Zhou Yi.

   At the time of his death, Zheng Xuan was in the midst of a great war, so the funeral was simple, but more than a thousand people from the county sheriff and his disciples were buried in mourning. He was initially buried in the east of the city (in the territory of Yidu, Shandong Province), but later he was buried in Lefu, under Liuzong Mountain, 50 miles northwest of Gaomi County. There are still tombstones and a shrine of Zheng Xuan from the Tang Dynasty, and not far from here is the "Zheng Gongxiang" where Confucius set up a memorial for him.

  The students of Zheng Xuan admired the teacher so much that in order to commemorate his teachings, they edited the "Analects" like the disciples of Confucius edited the "Analects" to commemorate Confucius, and also edited the usual quiz of Zheng Xuan and his disciples on the Five Classics into "Zheng Zhi", which has 8 articles. In summary, Zheng Xuan's life was a life of dedication and devotion to scholarship and education, a life of dedication and devotion to the ancient cultural heritage.

Zheng Xuan's Academic Achievements

  During the two Han dynasties, scripture was the most prosperous in China. In the Western Han Dynasty, the present-day scriptures were prevalent, and the five scriptures and fourteen doctors who were established in the school officials at that time were all present-day scriptures. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, ancient scriptures gradually emerged, while the Eastern Han Dynasty was the period when ancient scriptures emerged and fought until they surpassed modern scriptures. Zheng Xuan made his living from ancient scriptures, and took the longest of modern scriptures and merged them into one, thus forming Zheng Studies. The prevalence of Zheng Studies was an epoch-making event in the history of scriptures.

   Zheng Xuan devoted his life to exegete the Confucian classics. The Book of Later Han - Zheng Xuan's Biography says: "All Xuan's commentaries on Zhou Yi, Shang Shu, Mao Shi, Yi Li, Li Ji, Analects, and Xiao Jing ...... are more than one million words. As a matter of fact, Zheng Xuan's commentary on all the scriptures is much more than that, and only the main parts are listed here. According to the testimony of Zheng Zhen, a Confucian scholar, Zheng Xuan's writings are about 60 in total. Zheng Xuan said in his "Book of Preceptorship" that he devoted himself to scriptures in order to "describe the mysterious meaning of the former sages and think about the unevenness of a hundred schools of thought". That is to say, his aim was to elaborate Confucianism and make it flourish. Historically speaking, Zheng Xuan's achievement in annotating the scriptures was quite high, and he fulfilled his wish.

   The present biography of the Book of Later Han summarizes Zheng Xuan's achievements in scripture, saying, "Zheng Xuan encompassed the canon, collected all the sayings, cut down the complexity, published the omissions, and chose the good, and since the scholars knew a little about what to return to." This evaluation is in line with reality. Zheng Xuan's greatest achievement was to edit and annotate the "Three Rites". Although the name of "Three Rites" was proposed by Ma Rong and Lu Zhi, it was established only after Zheng Xuan made notes for Zhou Rites, Yi Rites and Li Ji respectively.

   The 49 books of the Book of Rites were also written independently by Zheng Xuan.

   The "Three Rites" are the source of ancient Chinese rules and regulations, and are valuable historical documents, but many of them are difficult to understand directly from the original texts, so Zheng's notes are indispensable.

   Zheng's commentaries are indispensable in helping us to understand the content of the Three Rites and in correcting the errors of the scriptures. In addition, Zheng Xuan's interpretation of the scriptures enriched the literature by adding many materials outside the scriptures. These materials must have been available in the literature or teachers' sayings at that time, but nowadays most of them have been lost, and some of them have been preserved thanks to Zheng's commentary, which is also a great merit of Zheng's commentary.

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha, the original teacher.

      Namo Amitabha Buddha. Namo Amitabha Buddha. Namo Amitabha Buddha.

Fusheng Wuqiantianzong. Confucius. Jesus. Muhammad.

All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions.

All the gods and immortals in the three worlds and ten directions.

All the saints and sages in the past and present.

    Do not do any evil, and practice all good deeds. Be persistent and answer all requests.

Zhuge Changqing wishes all those who are filial to their parents and do good deeds all over the world prosperity and good fortune!

     先贤风范：东汉未年儒家经学大师郑玄

    在中国，要研究四书五经，必须研究郑玄，他是中国经学历史上的一颗璀璨明珠，一座伟岸的山峰。

                      ----------- 诸葛长青
    东汉末年的经学大师郑玄，他遍注儒家经典，以毕生精力整理古代文化遗产，使经学进入了一个“小统一时代”。他对儒家经典的注释，长期被封建统治者作为官方教材，收入九经、十三经注疏中，对于儒家文化乃至整个中国文化的的流传作出了相当重要的贡献。现在，让我们来佯细了解一下这位经学大师的迷人风采和卓越成就。
一、郑玄的生平事迹

   1、家世与童年
   郑玄，字康成，北海高密（今山东省高密县）人。
   生于东汉顺帝永建二年（12 7年），卒于东汉献帝建安五年（200年）。郑玄的家世本来比较显赫。其远祖名叫郑国，字子徒，是孔子的弟子，其后世封为朐（qu渠）山侯。郑玄的八世祖郑崇，字子游。为高密大族，西汉哀帝时官至尚书仆射，《汉书》中有传。郑崇为人刚直不阿，很受哀帝的信任和重用，常与宦官、幸臣董贤等作斗争，后来佞臣诬陷，惨死狱中。
   到了郑玄出生时，郑氏家族已经败落了，他的祖父郑明、父亲郑谨，都没有出仕，只在乡间务农，家中生活也比较贫寒。郑玄自幼无资聪颖，又性喜读书，勤奋好学。他从小学习书数之学，到八九岁时就精通加减乘除的算术，不但一般的大人比不过他，即便是读书人，不专门学习书数者也赶不上他。到了十二三岁，他就能诵读和讲述《诗》、《书》、《易》、《礼记》、《春秋》这儒家“五经”了。同时，他还喜欢钻研天文学，并掌握了 “占候”、“风角”、“隐术”等一些以气象、风向的变化而推测吉凶的方术。
   郑玄自少年时就一心向学，确立了学习经学的志向，终日沉湎于书卷中，孜孜以求。他不尚虚荣，天性务实，有一件小事很能说明这个问题。十一二岁的时候，他曾随母亲到外祖家做客，当时客人很多，在座的十多位客人都衣着华美，打扮得焕然一新，一个个言语清爽，夸夸其谈，显得很有地位和派头。唯独郑玄默默地坐在一旁，似乎身份和才学都赶不上人家。其母见状，感到面上无光，便暗地督促他出头露面，显露点才华，表现点阔绰和神气。郑玄却不以为然，说这些庸俗的场面 “非我所志，不在所愿也”（引文见《太平广记》卷215引《玄别传》）。
   郑玄16岁的时候，不但精通儒家经典，详熟古代典制，而且通晓谶纬方术之学，又能写得一手好文章，在当地声名远播，被大家称为神童。当时朝廷的统治者相信灾异、符瑞之说，把各种自然灾害视为上天对人类的惩罚和警告；而把自然界罕见的一些现象，如禾生双穗、珍禽异兽出现等，看作上天对人们的奖励和对“政治清明”的赞赏。为了证明统治者的行为符合天意，朝廷便鼓励地方官府将“符瑞”逐级上报，借以神化和歌颂封建统治，麻痹人民。但当时的吏治已经坏透了，州、县官吏大都是白囗，写文章也难以象个样子。这一年民间有人献瑞，不同的两棵秧长到一起结了一个瓜，称为“嘉瓜”；一枝禾稻结了两个稻穗，谓之“嘉禾”。县里要讨好上级，就将“符瑞”的情况写成公文并加上颂辞上报，无奈官吏鄙陋无文，写的东西实在拿不出手，只好请神童郑玄来改写。郑玄写好了公文，又写两篇颂辞，倍受县吏的赏识。郡守认为郑玄是少有的奇才，不愧神童之名，后来亲自为他主持了冠礼（男子20岁时为表示成年而举行的加冠典礼）。
   郑玄对术数之学的研究也很有心得，成名很早。据《玄别传》记载，郑玄17岁时，有一天正在家读书，忽见刮起了大风，他根据自己掌握的一些方术来推算，预测到某日、某时、某地将要发生火灾。于是，他立即到县府去报告，让政府早做准备。到了某日某时，某地果然发生了火灾，但由于早有准备，并没酿成大害。这件事不胜而走，郑玄又被当地视为“异人”。
   2、不乐为史 折节向学
   伴随着知识和学问的增长，郑玄步入了青年时代。他虽然立志于潜心钻研经学，并已具有了一定的经学造诣，但由于家境贫寒，生活困苦，已没有条件继续专门攻读了，父母兄弟迫于生计问题，也都不允许他再不事产业而长年读书了。在18岁那年，他不得不出仕，充任乡啬夫之职。汉代地方政府实行郡、县二级制，县以下设乡、亭、里、什、伍等，一般是五户为伍，十户为什，百户为里，十里一亭，十亭一乡。乡啬夫是乡一级地方小吏，掌管诉讼和税收等事。对于自己主管的工作，郑玄勤勤恳恳，十分认真，抚恤孤苦，甚得乡里的好评，不久便晋级而成为乡佐，大约相当于副乡长的职位。
   虽然上司器重，乡亲拥护，但郑玄却不安于乡吏的工作，不愿为吏以谋生，而一心向往研究学术。因此，他在做乡吏的同时，还利用一切可以利用的机会刻苦学习，每逢休假日也不回家，而到学校中向先生请教各种学术问题。他的父亲对此极为反对，并一再督责和训斥他。但父、兄的反对也改变不了他的志向，他仍坚持不懈地努力学习，到21岁时，已经博览群书，具有了深厚的经学功底，并精于历数图纬之学，兼精算术，成了一位满腹才学的年轻学者了。
  当时有一位名士名叫杜密，和大胆反对宦官的“天下名士”李膺齐名，并称为 “李杜”。杜密升任太山太守、北海相，到高密县巡视时见到郑玄，认为他是一个不可多得的人才，就把他升调到郡里为吏录，使他得到学习和深造的机会。从此，郑玄便结束了他的乡吏生涯。到了北海郡不久，郑玄又辞去吏职，入太学受业。他的老师名叫第五元先（第五是复性），是当时京兆平陵（今陕西长安）的大姓，曾任兖州刺史，是一位很有学问的经学博士。郑玄从师第五元先，先后学了《京氏易》、《公羊春秋》、《三统历》、《九章算术》等，俱达到了通晓的程度。其中《京氏易》是西汉京房写的，《公羊春秋》是战国公羊高传述、西汉初成书的，这两部书都是今文经学的重要典籍。《三统历》是西汉刘歆写的历法，《九章算术》则传说是西周周公著的，这两部书都属历数之学的重要著述。
   此后10年左右，皆为郑玄折节求学的时代。
   他师事第五元先后，又从东郡张恭祖学习了《周官》、《礼记》、《左氏春秋》、《韩诗》、《古文尚书》等书，其中除《礼记》和《韩诗》外，均为古文经学的重要典籍。郑玄向第五元先和张恭祖学习了今古文经学两大学派的重要经籍后，尚不以此为满足，又从陈球受业，学习了《律令》。在此期间，他还以明经学、表节操为目的，游学于幽、并、兖、豫各地（相当于今山东、河北、河南一带），遍访名儒，转益多师，虚心向他们学习，共同探讨学术问题。读万卷书，行万里路，不辞劳苦，孜孜求道，郑玄的青年时代，就是这样匆忙而充实地过去了。到了而立之年后，郑玄已经成了一名有着较深造诣的经学家。他的学问在山东（指的山以东，今河南、河北、山东一带）已经可以说首屈一指、无出其右者了。
   3、壮年去国 游学关西
   郑玄虽然已经学富五车，但他自己却毫不满足，学无止境，越学反越觉得知识不够用。当他感到关东（指函谷关以东）学者已经无人再可请教了的时候，通过友人卢植的关系，离开故国，千里迢迢西入关中，拜扶风马融为师，以求进一步深造。这一年，郑玄是33岁。马融是扶风茂陵（今属陕西兴平）人，为当时全国最著名的经学大师，学问十分渊博。他遍注儒家经典，使古文经学达到了成熟的境地。他的门徒上千，长年追随在身边的就有四百余人，其中优秀者亦达50人以上。
   其为人比较骄贵和讲究，虽然门徒众多，但他只亲自面授少数高材生，其余学生则由这些高材生转相授业。郑玄投学门下后，三年不为马融所看重，甚至一直没能见到他的面，只能听其高足弟子们的讲授。但郑玄并未因此而放松学习，仍旧日夜寻究诵习，毫无怠倦。有一次，马融和他的一些高足弟子在一起演算浑天（古代一种天文学）问题，遇到了疑难而不能自解。有人说郑玄精于数学，于是就把他召去相见。郑它当场很快就圆满地解决了问题，使马融与在场的弟子们都惊服不已，马融对卢植说：“我和你都不如他呀！”自此以后，马融对郑玄十分看重，郑玄便把平时学习中发现而未解决的疑难问题一一向马融求教，对于篇籍的奥旨寻微探幽，无不精研，终得百尺竿头再进一步。
  郑玄在马融门下学习了7年，因父母老迈需要归养，就向马融告辞回山东故里。马融此时已经感到郑玄是个了不起的人才，甚至会超过自己，他深有感慨地对弟子们说：“郑生今去，吾道东矣！”意思是说，由他承传的儒家学术思想，一定会由于郑玄的传播而在关东发扬光大。
  4、党锢之祸与隐修经业
  从马融那里学成回乡后，郑玄已经40多岁了，这时他已成为全国著名的精通今古文经学的大师了，于百家之学无所不通。于是远近有数百上千人投到他的门下，拜他为师，听他讲学。当时他家里还很贫穷，便“客耕东莱”，一面种田维持生计，一面教授门徒。东莱在今山东即墨县东南不其城南山下，环境十分优美，山上有古井不竭，井边生有一种细而长的草，和薤一样一尺多长，很有韧性，时人称之为书带草，又叫康成书带。郑玄与弟子们隐居于此，过着清贫而安谧的生活。
   本来，像郑玄这样学问好名声大的经师，是会被推荐或征召入朝为官的，他本人也未尝不是这样打算的。但谁知正在此时，却发生了“党锢之祸”。
   党锢之祸是东汉后期统治阶级内部宦官、外戚两派长期斗争的产物。
   外戚当权，即杀戮和罢免一大批宦官，而提拔重用他们的同党；反之，宦官掌权，则大杀外戚集团，罢免和压制外党。
   桓帝时，一批比较正直的士家豪族和“名士”出身的封建官僚，联合3万多大学生，一起反对宦官集团。宦官则控制了桓帝，捏造罪状进行反击，桓帝下令逮捕了李膺、陈实、杜密等200余人，并对逃亡者悬赏追捕。这就是发生于延熹九年（166年）的第一次“党锢之祸”。
   后来，由于外戚集团的支持，桓帝下令开赦李膺等200人。不久，外戚与党人联合起来计议诛杀宦官，泄秘后反被宦官先发制人，阴谋陷害，将李膺、杜密等200余人一并下狱处死。之后，又在全国各地陆续逮捕“党人”。灵帝建宁元年（168年），下诏各州郡查究党人，凡“党人”及其门生、故吏、父子、兄弟现居官位者，一概免职禁锢，这就是所谓第二次党锢之祸。所谓“党锢”，也就是视为党人而予以禁锢，绝其仕进之路，永远不许为官。郑玄曾为杜密故吏，又曾受杜密的赏识与提携，所以也被视为党人，于建宁四年（171年）和同郡孙嵩等40余人俱被禁锢。
   这一年，郑玄才45岁。
   郑玄被禁锢后，绝了仕进之路，使杜门不出，隐修经业，集中全部精力来进行遍注群经的工作。郑学的主要成就，都是在这一时期完成的。汉代经学有今古文之分。秦始皇焚书后，汉代有一些老儒生凭记忆背诵出来一些经文，用当时通行的文字（隶书，即今文）记录并整理出来，叫做“今文经”。
   西汉成、哀之世，刘向、刘歆父子校理秘书，发现了一部用古籀文字书写的《春秋左氏传》，再加上由孔壁所得的《逸礼》、《古文尚书》，和当时尚未立于学官的《毛诗》，便成了古文经的主要经典。研习今文经的，叫今文学派，修读古文经的，叫古文学派。
   今古文经不仅经文有所不同，更重要的是其解说和观点差异甚大。两派各按自己的观点注经立说和收徒讲学，渐成水火不相容之势，发展到相互指责、论辩，相攻如仇。后来，古文经也被立于学官，取得了合法的地位，两派的斗争更加经常和激烈了。到东汉时，今古文经并行，古文学派的影响迅速扩大。郑玄进入经学界，正是处于今古文学派激烈斗争的形势之下。

今古文经学派的相互攻击，在本质上并没有什么进步意义，虽然两派都各自有一些长处。经学讲究“师法”和“家法”：严守经师之说毫不走样，叫做师法；同一经师的不同学生又各自为家，故师法之下又讲家法，在遵从师法的前提下才能成一家之言。所以，师法是追溯渊源的，家法是对师说的引伸与发展。如此“疏不破注”，叠床架屋，致使一经就有数家，一家又有若干说，各讲各的一套，谬误百出，使后学者不知所从。繁琐、支离、教条，成了经学的突出弊病。郑玄起初从第五元先学习《京氏易》、《公羊春秋》，是属于今文经学派的。后来他又跟张恭祖学习《周官》、《左氏春秋》、《古文尚书》，这是属于古文经学派的。
   可见他并不专守一师之说，尊一家之言，而是博学多师，兼收并蓄。他在马融门下受业多年，而马融乃是古文经学大师，总的看，他是倾向于古文经学一边的。但是，郑玄并不遵守当时经学中师法、家法那一套，他以自己渊博的学识遍注古文经，注中并不专用古文经学家的释义，同时也采用了许多个文经学家的解释。即以古文为主，兼采今文，择善而从。
   在受禁锢的14年中，郑玄遍注群经。郑注出现以后，原来各守门户的今文经学与古文经学，便逐渐不再为人们所信了。他在当时不仅集古文经学之大成，而且使古文今文融为一炉，独创了一个新的学派——郑学。
   人们转而崇尚郑学，使之逐渐成为“天下所宗”的儒学。例如，郑玄所注的古文经学费氏《易》流行，而今文经的施、孟、梁邱三家《易》便废止了；郑注《古文尚书》流传，而今文经的欧阳、大小夏侯三家《尚书》便散失了；郑玄笺注了古文经的《毛诗》，而今文经的齐、鲁、韩三家的《诗》也就不显了。郑学的出现，使经学的发展产生了重要的变化，它使经学进入了一个“统一时代”（皮锡瑞语，见《经学历史》）。
   本期还有一件事值得一提：
   当时有位著名的今文经学大师名叫何体，他用17年的时间写成了《公羊春秋解诂》一书，对《公羊》一书的内容多所发明。从他的《公羊墨守》、《左氏膏盲》、《谷梁废疾》三文中可见，他认为《春秋》三传中只有《公羊》义理深远，象墨子的城防一样无懈可击。而《左氏》与《谷梁》二传则存在严重的缺点，根本不值得研究。
   郑玄乃针对他的观点，著《发墨守》、《针膏肓》、《起废疾》以驳斥之。他认为三传各有其优缺点，《公羊》并非十全十美。何体读了郑玄的文章，也带着叹服的口气说：“康成入吾室，操吾矛，以伐我乎！” 意思是说郑玄能从他的文章中找出矛盾，用他自相矛盾的说法来驳倒他的立论。由于郑玄对何体的批驳十分有力，使经师和学者们十分惊服。据说当时京师之人称何休为“学海”，而称郑玄为“经神”，郑的声望远超过何。当时求学者不远千里投到郑玄门下者甚众，他的徒党通于天下。
   总之，郑玄从45岁被禁锢，到了58岁（灵帝中平元年，公元184年）才蒙赦令，前后长达14年。在此期间，他打破了经学的家法，注释与著书“几百余万言”，创立了郑学，在中国经学发展史上做出了无与伦比的突出贡献。
    5、守节不仕与隐居授徒
   黄巾农民大起义爆发后，东汉王朝为了平息地主阶级内部的纷争，以一致镇压农民起义，乃大赦党人，这时郑玄已58岁了，才获得自由。郑玄曾先后游学十几年，走遍了各地，连大经师马融都自叹不如，成了全国著名的经学大师。他著述丰赡，又弟子众多，在当时是有相当大声望的。解除党禁后，朝廷当政者对郑玄的大名已早有所闻，于是争相聘请他人朝担任要职。但郑玄求名而不求官，羞与外戚闭寺为伍，绝不愿涉足仕途，乃屡拒征辟，一心一意从事著书讲学的学术工作。灵帝中平二年（185年），执掌朝廷权柄的外戚大将军何进为了笼络人心，首先征辟郑玄人朝为官。州郡官吏胁迫起行，郑玄不得已，只好入朝去见何进。何进为表示礼贤下士，对郑玄礼敬有加，设几、杖之礼以待之。郑玄为保其名士节操，拒不穿朝眼，只穿普通儒者的便服与何进相见。仅隔了一夜，未等授予官职就逃走了。
   灵帝中平四年（187年），三司府曾先后两次征辟郑玄，但他都借故婉言谢绝了。第二年，郑玄与荀爽、申屠蟠、襄楷、韩融、陈纪等14人并被征为博士，他因父丧而未去。后将军袁隗表举郑玄为侍中，他仍以居丧为理由而拒绝出仕。
  中平六年（189年），灵帝死，少帝刘辩继位，不久董卓废少帝而立献帝，迁都于长安。这时，公卿们又举郑玄为赵王乾之相，但因战乱道路不通，仍没有受召。郑玄屡拒征辟，其间除避乱于徐州外，大抵是在家乡隐居，聚徒讲学，专心经术，著书立说。他的弟子遍于天下，多有人自远方而投至门下，如河内赵商、崔琰、公孙方、王基、国渊、郗虑等即为其间著名者。他的学生常常超过千人，为一时之盛。
   献帝建安二年（197年），袁绍为大将军，兼督冀、青、幽、并四州，为北中国最大的割据势力。一次他大宴宾客，郑玄应邀出席，在席上对一些所谓“豪俊”的提问进行了一一的答对，语惊四座，使宾客无不折服。袁绍乃举郑玄为茂才，并表请郑玄为左中郎将，但郑玄却毫不为之所动，一一予以婉拒。
   献帝建安三年（198年），献帝征郑玄为大司农，这是位列九卿的高官，给安车一乘，所过郡县长吏送迎。郑玄在家拜受后，便乘安车至许昌，但马上又借口有病，请求告老还乡。他虽然并未到任就职，但已经拜受此命，故世人称他为郑司农。
   总的看，郑玄解禁后被州辟、举贤良方正、茂才等共有14次，皆拒不受。公车征左中郎、博士、赵相、侍中、大司农，也都没有就职。有汉末黑暗的社会情况下，郑玄有意保持其名士的清节，不肯与他所鄙视的那些外戚、宦官及唯名利是图的假名士们为伍，而一心在学术上发挥自己的才智。以布衣而雄视世人，不愧为真名士。
   6、颠沛流离的晚年生活
   郑玄不受征召，最初是领着学生们隐居在不其城南山里，进行注经和讲学活动。由于黄巾起义，天下大乱，后来终至粮食断绝，无法维持下去了，只好与学生们痛哭一场，分手各奔前程了。
   献帝初平二年（191年），黄巾军攻占青州，郑玄在高密也待不下去了，便逃到徐州避乱。徐州牧陶谦曾大破黄巾军，境内比较安定，他听得郑玄到来，极为欢迎，以师友之礼相接待。郑玄把自己安顿在南城之山栖迟岩下的一所石屋里，很少出头露面，仍然夜以继日，孜孜不倦地研究儒家经典，注释《孝经》。
   郑玄在徐州住了五六年，当时孔融为北海相，对郑玄特别尊崇，他一面为郑玄修葺故居庭院，一面再三派人敦请郑玄回郡。建安元年（196年），郑玄便从徐州返回高密。据《后汉书》本传记载，郑玄在回高密的路上曾遇到大批黄巾军，但他们却对郑玄十分尊重：“见玄皆拜，相约不敢入县境”。黄巾军尊重士人，这在历史上是有记载的，而郑玄是一位真正的名士，在颠沛流离中非礼不动，也是他能够获得黄巾军尊重的原因。据《后汉纪·献纪》，高密一县，竟未受黄巾抄掠，郑玄以自己的人格和名望保护了乡梓。
   回到高密后，孔融待之甚厚，告诉手下僚属称之为郑君，不得直呼其名。这样，郑玄在70岁时算是结束了背井离乡的流亡生恬，他老当益壮，仍终日精研经典，博稽六艺，并时常睹览秘书纬术。可就在这一年，他竟又惨遭人伦大变，经受了老年丧子之痛。他只有一个儿子，名叫益恩，23岁时被北海相孔融举为孝廉。
   这一年春夏之间，袁绍之子袁谭率黄巾降兵攻北海，围孔融于都昌（今山东昌邑），情势万分紧急。益忍受父命率家兵前去营救，结果反被围杀，时年仅27岁。益恩死后，生有遗腹子，郑玄因其手文与自己相似，取名叫小同。献帝建安五年（200年），郑玄已经74岁了，饱经沧桑，身体常觉不适。这年春天，他梦见孔子对他说：“起、起，今年岁在辰，来年岁在巴。”（《后汉书》本传）这一年是农历庚辰年，即龙年，而来年是辛巳年，也就是蛇年，旧说龙、蛇之年对圣贤不利。所以他醒来后很不高兴，认为自己当不久于人世了。这一年，袁绍与曹操的大军在官渡（今河南中牟县东）会战。袁绍为壮声势，争取民心和士望，叫袁谭逼迫郑玄随军，郑玄无奈，只好抱病而行。走到元城（今河北大名县境），病势加重，不能再走了，同年六月病逝于该县。病重和临危之时，他还在注释《周易》。
   郑玄死时正处于大战乱之际，所以葬礼从简，但自郡守以下的官员和受业弟子也有一千多人披麻戴孝送葬。最初葬于剧东（今山东益都境内），后又归葬于高密县西北50里刘宗山下的厉阜。现在此地仍存有唐代墓碑和郑玄祠庙，距此不远，则是孔融当年给他立的“郑公乡”。
  郑玄的学生们十分景仰这位老师，为了纪念恩师的教诲，他们像孔门弟子为纪念孔子而编辑《论语》一样，也把郑玄平时和弟子们问答五经的言论编辑为《郑志》，共有8篇。总括郑玄的一生，是为整理古代文化遗产而鞠躬尽瘁的一生，是献身学术与教育的一生，他身上集中了正派知识分子不慕权势、死守善道、忧民敬业等众多传统美德。
二、郑玄的学术成就
  我国两汉时期，经学最为昌盛。西汉时今文经学盛行，当时立于学官的五经十四博士，全是今文经学。西汉末年古文经学逐渐兴起，东汉则是古文经学兴起、抗争，直至超过今文经学的时期。郑玄以古文经学为生，兼采今文经学之长，融会为一，而形成郑学。郑学盛行，是经学史上承先启后具有划时代意义的大事。
   郑玄以毕生精力注释儒家经典，《后汉书·郑玄传》说：凡玄所注《周易》、《尚书》、《毛诗》、《仪礼》、《礼记》、《论语》、《孝经》……凡百余万言。事实上，郑玄遍注群经，远远不止这些，这里仅列举了主要部分。据清儒郑珍考证统计，郑玄的著述共约有60种之多。郑玄在《戒子益恩书》中说，他致力于经学，是为了“述先圣之玄意，思整百家之不齐”。即是说，他的目的在于阐述儒家思想，使之发扬光大。历史地看，郑玄注经的成就是相当高的，他完成了自己的心愿。
   《后汉书》本传总结郑玄的经学成就说：“郑玄囊括大典，网罗众说，删裁繁芜，刊改漏失，择善而从，自是学者略知所归。”这一评价是符合实际的。郑玄最大的功绩是编辑、注释了“三礼”。汉代《礼经》只凭师授而无注解，马融也只注了《丧服》经、传，“三礼”这个名称虽然是马融、卢植提出来的，但却是从郑玄分别为《周礼》、《仪礼》、《礼记》作注之后，才确定下来的。
   《礼记》49篇的选辑本得以独立成书，也始自郑玄。
   “三礼”是中国古代典章制度的渊薮，是十分宝贵的历史文献，但其中很多记载我们是很难直接由原文中弄清楚的，所以郑注是不可或缺的。
   郑注在帮助我们弄明白“三礼”的内容方面，以及在订正经文的错谬方面，其功绩是不可磨灭的。而且郑玄在解释经文时，又补充了许多经文之外的材料，大大丰富了文献的内容。这些材料在当时肯定是有文献或师说可据的，而今已大多亡佚，有赖郑注而得保存其若干，这也是郑注的一件大功劳。

南无本师释迦牟尼佛。
      南无阿弥陀佛。南无阿弥陀佛。南无阿弥陀佛。
福生无量天尊。孔子。耶稣。穆罕默德。
十方三世诸佛菩萨。
三界十方一切神仙。
古今中外一切圣贤。
    诸恶莫作，众善奉行。持之以恒、有求必应。

(This article is an original article by Zhuge Changqing, and the pictures are selected from the Internet. Welcome to forward it, and please indicate the source for forwarding)

Introduction to Zhuge Changqing: Zhuge Changqing, the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, is willing to "learn from sages, promote virtue, revitalize China and benefit the world" together with people with the same ideals in the world.

(Zhuge Changqing: zhuge8031@163.com ）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

Zhuge Changqing's Chinese Dream

Learn from sages and carry forward virtue

Revitalizing China for the benefit of the world

 （本文是诸葛长青原创文章，图片选自网络。欢迎转发，转发引用请注明出处）

诸葛长青简介：诸葛长青，中国国学传统文化传承弘扬者，愿与天下志同道合者一起“学习圣贤、弘扬善德、振兴中华、造福世界”。

（诸葛长青：zhuge8031@163.com）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

  诸葛长青中国梦  

学习圣贤 弘扬善德

振兴中华 造福世界

Selected Articles in Previous Periods

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往期精选文章

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1The wisdom of traditional Chinese culture changes the destiny: filial piety to parents+five in one+self-improvement

1 国学智慧改命运：孝敬父母+五合一+自强不息

2Zhuge Changqing's Three Golden Keys to Changing Destiny

2诸葛长青改命运三把金钥匙诸葛长青施食仪轨 （十五步简洁版）

3Zhuge Changqing's Greeting Ritual (15 Steps Concise Version)

3 诸葛长青施食仪轨 （十五步简洁版）

4How to repent: the ritual of repentance and the method of repentance (full version)

4   如何忏悔：忏悔仪轨忏悔方法（完整版）

5How to read the Dizang Sutra: Methods for reciting Dizang Sutra (complete version)

5 如何念地藏经：念地藏经仪轨方法（完整版）

6How to release? The ritual of releasing life

6怎样放生？放生仪轨

7Zhuge Changqing's Repentance Culture: A Case Study of Repentance Methods for Changing Destiny

7诸葛长青忏悔文化：改变命运忏悔方法案例

8Free Life Culture: Free Life Culture in Ancient China

8放生文化：中国古代的放生文化

9Shocking photo of feeding: Buddha, Bodhisattva and Dharma Protector come to the scene

9施食震撼照片：佛菩萨护法神亲临现场

10Feeding Rite Return: the return is changed to simple return

10施食仪轨回向：回向修改为简洁回向